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To The Editor
Language issue ?\ccording to language experts, ever)- two weeks a language ceases to be spoken.
The gradual demise of languages is but an indictment on the nature of the progress the world has been making to the detriment of indigenous cultures and civilisations which are being swept away by the tide.
Every effort must be made to maintain the world's linguistic diversity.
Mohammad Shahidul Islam On e-mail
Ekushey Book Fair
Being a first time visitor I was surprised to see a huge gathering. I .have Visited many fairs in my life, but I have never seen such a mass gathering. The campus was full of enthusiastic visitors. There was no empty space. But 1 w-as surprised when I came to the Bangla Academy gate. The queue was very long. I was not sure whether I would be able to visit the Book Fair as it would take a long time to enter the place.
However. I could get in at last. It was an exciting experience for me.
Mojibur Rah am an
On e-mail
Swindling by NGOs
Recently, an NGO cheated thousands of people with the help of the local administration. Now the victims are helpless. The NGO shattered their lives.
How come these organisations are given registration? Whereas a bank gives only 12% interest, these NGOs are saying they will give 100 to 200% interest. So it is evident that there is something wrong with them.
The government should look into the matter immediately.
Kamoi Dey
One-mail
Gulshan Lake bridge
As is normal, we always wish to oppose and criticise everything without sound reasoning. The
work of constructing a bridge across the Gulshan lake is an important project for serving public interest. Excepting the Kamal Ataturk road connection, the only other connection between Banani and Gulshan is the Mahakhali road. Both roads are off limits to rickshaws and rickshaw vans. Extreme difficulty is being faced in transportation between the two parts and it has to be experienced to be believed. Not one but several bridges are required across the Banani-Gulshan lake to facilitate essential movement. The Gulshan Society. BELA, PBA, etc. have no reason to oppose such projects.
The only thing which needs to be done is to remove the earth filling done for the construction, which LGED has assured.
Abul Ahsan
Gulshan. Dhaka
Independence of Kosovo
The small captioned news that caught my eyes and made me happy was the Independence of Kosovo.
I was fortunate to work in Kosovo in the year 1999 and I had seen the extent of destruction and damage of infrastructure, roads and economy as well as social and moral degradation.
Thousands of homesteads and houses on the sides of highways were either damaged or put on fire. I visited Mitrovica, a place of gold mines, and other places and everywhere I saw the magnitude of destruction.
Women were raped. I had seen many massgraves on the sides of highways that evoked in me the memories of those days of our independence in 1971.
On e-mail
Whither rule of law?
One may argue with the contents of the letter of Dr. Abdul Moyeen, published in The Daily Star of 29-2-08 under the given caption, albeit it is difficult to contradict his noteworthy conclusion that
“Everybody knows how corruption had spread during the five-year rule of the BNP-Jamaat, and how the country was run by the family of the PM and her son's office. Hawa Bhaban. Instead of taking any firm actions against those, the government has given its leaders a fairly royal treatment with almost no cases being filed against them and many of them are still at large, especially the ones who belong to the Jamaat.” I believe that the CTG ( Caretaker Government) would come forward to address this wide spread perception. Further, the following points also demand immediate remedy by the authorities.
1.Of late the public servants are submitting their wealth statements. This is obviously a very encouraging step taken by the CTG, albeit it is not understood as to why such submission of wealth statements should not be extended to such very important persons as the Advisers. Heads of Constitutional bodies and the like. Pertinently, I must praise the stand of the ACC chief in asking for wealth statements from the former Ministers and the Prime Ministers, and initiating necessary legal steps. I suppose if the ACC has real operational independence and if there is any convincing ground, it should do the same to the existing incumbents of the establishment. Undoubtedly, such steps would go a long way in ensuring transparency and bridging the gap between the government and the governed.
2.The CTG's one milestone achievement has been the initiation of the independence of judiciary. However, this independence of judiciary from the executive would be sheer insignificant in the absence of totally transparent dispensation of justice. Such transparency can well be ensured if the members of the judiciary voluntarily and periodically provide their wealth statements and keep themselves clean before the nation.
3 I think it's time that the ACC delved into not only the past irregularities, but also into the
present ones. Pertinently, 1 would request the ACC to go deep into the recent media report as to how a huge amount of edible soybean oil was recently exported to India at a nominal price of Tk. 48/ per litre while we arc reeling under the sky high price spiral and buying the same stuff at Tk. 107/ or even more per litre. It is not understood as to how the concerned organs pf the CTG kept silent overall these transactions. One wonders as to whether similar "business deal” was also carried out for such commodities as rice, pulse, powder milk, and so on! Needless to say, in order to avert unnecessary speculation, the CTG should immediately come forward with the actual picture and take appropriate steps to free the country from the evil clutches of the so-called "syndicates".
Hafeejul Alam A former civil servant
University teachers
On 29 January 2008,1 was stunned and dismayed to go through the media reports that the DU teachers, soon after their release, issued political statements asking the govt to immediately withdraw the state of emergency and declare specific date of general elections. They directed the CTG to hold immediate dialogue with the political parties. They also demanded release of the two former prime ministers including the detained student leaders. Seems they have not learnt any lesson from their past mistakes. The whole nation sympathised with them for their arrests and subsequent sufferings simply on the consideration that they are the honourable and learned teachers of the highest educational centres and held at the highest esteem by all and sundry.
I suppose as respectable teachers their only job is to enlighten our children with knowledge and education, besides guiding them in building their character by setting examples. These students one day will lead the nation. But if they themselves indulge in politics then what would happen to this nation? Have they ever tried to read the pulse of the common .people? Moreover, is, it thq Hgty time to hold the elections? Whom to elect at this stage- those thugs and looters? What's the hurry? No one wants an election at this stage and go back to those dreadful days priorto 1/ll.It'salongwaybefore we can have a credible and meaningful election. I think out of sheer motivation they made those political statements without caring for the desire and expectation of the people in general.
The CTG has a lot to do in this respect and they are preparing for the same step by step. We must cooperate and assist them in presenting the nation with an effective government. The CTG has a duty to ensure that the nation does not go back to those days of muscle power and lawlessness. Each and every institution has been destroyed by these so-called politicians. The CTG has to hand over power to safe hands and prior to the election the following has to be ensured besides many other actions:-
a) Completion of voter list and arrangement of transparent ballot boxes, b) Norms have to be made mandatory with punishment for the violators, c) Either hartal has to be banned by law or no one will be coerced/intimidated by the political goons/vandals to forcibly observe hartal, d) Judiciary has to be 100% independent, rule of law must be established for each and every citizen of the country and no
one including the president of the country must be above the law. e) Introduction of strict and genuine qualification bur for all elected/selectcd public representatives including the members of union councils. We don't want to be ruled by thugs and Illiterates, f) For the sake of social justice, the police has to be made accountable to the people, h) Future elected governments must be answerable to the nation and their power should be redefined. There must be transparency on their exercise of powers. 1) Politics should be banned in all educational institutes like that of the neighbouring country.
I low could they demand release of the two former PMs when they are already under trial and custody? Don't they want the rule of law to be established in our country?
No one wants their release without trial, except the motivated ones who want to take us back to those horrifying days of logi/ baitha.
A.B. Mohammed Zakaria Middlesex. UK
Spirit of Ekushey
It was good to read, over Ekushey, the number of articles promoting more respect for Bangla and expressing dislike for the various ways in which it is being corrupted. This battle has to continue in all our schools!
I have heard some people talk as though English-medium schools are all part of some 'foreign' conspiracy against all things Bengali, including disloyalty to the language. What nonsense is this? On the contrary, in the ones 1 have been associated with, Bengali is a 'core' subject and no pupil can get promotion to the next class unless he or she has proved their competence in the syllabus for the past year.
Of course, there are some Bangladeshi children who have returned from years living abroad and who speak Bangla quite well but their reading and writing leaves a lot to be desired. They tend to roll their eyes and plead for mercy but, in most of such schools, surely do not get it! Our School’ for instance, offers them Easy Bangla classes for a maximum of 2 years and then they have to join the mainstream. We actively discourage our students from speaking the mixture of English and Bangla that is the current fashion in many circles at the moment, for which the English-medium schools can certainly not be blamed. Learning good Bengali and good English is not an either/or but a both/and in any school worthy of its place in this nation whether Bengali-medium or English-medium.
As for the Bengali culture, Ekushey is just one of many significant anniversaries that is celebrated appropriately each year by many if not most English-medium schools. I have heard teachers from some Bengali-medium schools saying that they wish they did as much for Bengali culture as we do!
No one who saw the stunning performance of 'Chandalika' for the Silver Jubilee celebrations of BIT could possibly question the enormous enthusiasm and devotion of this school to Bengali music and dance.
So what's the problem?
Angela Robinson
Rev Mrs AMV Robinson MA Dip Ed (Oxon)
Head of Girls' Section
Bangladesh International Tutorial